Kangana Ranaut once mentioned the Kerala actor abduction and assault case while discussing the challenges and dangers women faced in the film industry. In a 2017 interview with CNN IBN's Rajeev Masand, Kangana stated that incidents where females got abducted and killed made her fear for her own life. In the context of her public feud with Hrithik Roshan, she referenced the Kerala case to highlight the severity of what women in India were subjected to at the time. Kangana specifically mentioned that the actor was allegedly assaulted, as she brought an extramarital affair to the attention of a male actor's then-wife. “Many things take place in extramarital relationships. Look at what happened in the Malayalam (actor) case. What that man did to her for a complaint to his wife... He had her raped and circulated the footage,” Kangana said.
Essentially, Kangana Ranaut used the Kerala case as an example of the vulnerability and exploitation that women from the film industry faced, and to underscore her own sense of insecurity during her personal and professional struggles at the time.
Meanwhile, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court recently acquitted Dileep in the actor abduction and assault case.
